Punjab’s efforts to modernise its public education system have just got a fresh boost, with 72 government school teachers leaving for Finland for a 15-day training programme. The training will be conducted at the University of Turku in Finland. This is the largest batch sent abroad by the state government under its overseas teacher-training initiative.
With the latest batch, the total number of teachers sent to Finland for specialised training will increase to 216. The teachers' team was flagged off in Chandigarh by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on May 19, in the presence of Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains.
The initiative is aimed at exposing teachers to advanced teaching methodologies, smart classroom management techniques and international best practices in education as part of the government’s broader plan to align Punjab’s school education system with global standards.
Addressing mediapersons at the event, Mann described teachers as "nation builders" and said the state government was committed to giving education a new direction through continuous reforms and capacity-building programmes. He said the impact of earlier training programmes was already visible in the academic performance of students studying in government schools across the state.
Highlighting recent board examination results, CM Mann said students from government schools had secured marks above 98%, 97% and 96%, while three Class 12 girl students achieved a perfect score of 500 out of 500 marks. He said these results reflected the growing strength of Punjab’s government education system and the benefits of investing in teacher training and infrastructure development.
Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains said the government’s focus extended beyond improving school buildings and facilities to transforming the overall quality of learning in classrooms.
Bains said that prior to this, 144 teachers had already undergone training in Finland, while 234 principals received professional training in Singapore and 199 headmasters completed programmes at Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. He added that the trained educators would serve as "master trainers" and share their learnings with fellow teachers across Punjab, helping strengthen the state’s education ecosystem.
The chief minister also pointed to improvements in school infrastructure, saying more than 99% of government schools in Punjab now have computer facilities and nearly all schools are connected to electricity. He further noted that parent-teacher meetings had become increasingly popular, encouraging lakhs of parents to personally engage with schools regarding their children’s education.
Teachers departing for Finland said they were keen on learning modern teaching tools and technologies, which they said would help improve classroom learning and student outcomes in the state's government schools.
